Flash-sign advertising switch apparatus



June 18, 1929. H, s, COL MAN 1,717,370 FLASH SIGN ADVERTISING SWITICH APPARATUS Fil ed July 7. 1922 2 Sheets- Sheet l Afrafl/vfr.

June 18, 1929. s, COLEMAN 1,717,370

FLASH smn ADVERTISING swn'ca APPARATUS Filed July "I. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

' li'l I Ct Patented June 18, 1929.

PATENT OFFICER.

HERBERT STENNETT COLEMAN, OF VICTORIA, LONDON, ENGLAND.

FLASH-SIGN ADVERTISING SWITCH APPARATUS.

Application filed July 7, 1922, Serial No. 573,328, and in Great Britain July 27, 1921.

This invention relates to an electric flash sign advertising apparatus, comprising a facia or bank of electric incandescent lamps, which are successively illuminated so as to reproduce the matter to be advertised, the advertisement appearing on the facia or bank oflamps at the right hand end thereof, and apparently moving across the bank of lamps and finally disappearing at the other end 1 thereof.

In one species of apparatus of this type, a paper band or strip is used having the matter to be advertised in the form of perforations, through which contact members are arranged to pass, so as to come into contact with electric terminals on the other side of the paper strip or band. Such a construction has been found to be ineflicient' and unsatisfactory, for the reason that the strips quickly become worn and are very liable to be torn, so as to render the same useless. Furthermore, the paper strip is not capable of being fed regularly and freely because of its flexibility and the strip is likely to become wrinkled or folded, so that the letters will not be evenly spaced or distinct and clear in outline. This species is also costly, and the combinations thereon can not be changed at will.

Another species of apparatus has been devised in which itis proposed to use a controller comprising an endless element of interlinked metallic forms, which are provided with plates of'insulating material removably carried therein, and having metallic characters attached-thereto. This species is complicated and impractical, and the links of the endless element can not easily be changed, or the length of the element varied. 4

The general objectof the present invention is to provide an improved control mechanism for such apparatus which obviates the use of a paper strip, and which comprises an element made up of links bearing the matter to be advertised, which are of such a nature that they r can be changed in situs even when the apparatus is in operation.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings which show by way of example an arrangement of apparatus for thepurpose of carrying out the method of the present invention but I desire it to be understood that I donot limit myself to the number of ball-contacts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings.

visible in Figure 1. portedon a plate 198 carried by the uprights 100 Figure 1 is a side view of a control or contact board hereinafter fully described.

Figure 2 is an end View thereof.

Figure 3, drawn to an enlarged scale, is a central cross section of the control or contact board.

Figure tie a perspective view of part of the chain and the letter blocks carried thereby, and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a letter block.

The control apparatus constituting the present invention is shown as being applicable to a plurality of electric incandescent lamps (not shown) which may be arranged in any desired manner and have their terminals electrically connected toa source of current and to the control mechanism, about to be described in detail. Herein, the control mechanism 3 is shown as comprising a plurality of spring-urged contacts 4 whose arrangement is substantially the same as thatof the lamps to be controlled. There are preferably the same number of contacts as there are lamps, and each contact is adapted to control .one lamp. The contacts are adapted to be engaged by raised letters or designs formed on blocks 8 which pass over them, the idea being to light thelamps corresponding in position to the contacts engaged toproduce substantially the same designs as are carried by the blocks. To accomplish this, one terminal of each of the lamps is connected to one terminal of the source of current, and the letter blocks are connected by meana'later to be described, tothe other terminal ofthe source of current, while each of the contacts is connected to the other terminal ofthe corresponding lamp.

More specifically the control mechanism is shown as comprising aboard 193 which, is mounted on uprights'194, 195, 196 and 197, the latter two uprights being disposed practically in alignment to the rear of the uprights 194 and 195 and are consequently in The board 193 is sup- 194, 195, 196 and 197 and the said board is provided with holes 199 to receive the contract balls 4. Secured to the board 193 and to the uprights arc brackets 200 preferably two at each end of the board, these brackets being suitably spaced apart laterally of the board and also interconnected longitudinally of the board by tie bars 201. The brackets 200 carry spindles 202 and 203 on which are mounted sprocket wheels 204, 205 adapted to carry and V to actuate by a translational displacement an endless chain 206 built up of a plurality of letter blocks 8. The endless chain of blocks may be tensioned by a roller 207.

The balls 4. areret-ained in position in the holes 199 in the contact board 193 by a cover plate 208 of celluloid or other suitable insulating material. The halls are maintained in the position for contact with the letters on the letter blocks by springs 209 which abut against washers 210 at their lower ends, the said washers being electrically connected by leads 211 to one of the terminals of the proper lamp. Each letter block 8 is preferably of U-shaped form as shown in Figures 4c and 5 having a plane face 212 as shown in Figure 5, the said face being provided with a'letter such as C, shown at 213. The blocks form the outer links of the chain and the said blocks are interconnected by links 214 and pins 215, the links being maintained a suitable distance apart by tubular distance pieces 216. The blocks 8 thus form the outer links of the endless chain and the links 214; form the central part of the chain, adjacent blocks being connected together by the links 214. Actual contact between each letter of the block and the ball-contacts is ensured by balls 217 and 218 retained in position by cover plates 219, 220 disposed on the lower face of metal blocks 221, 222. These latter are maintained at a suitable distance above the cover plate 208 by blocks 223, 224 between which blocks the endless chain of letter blocks moves. The blocks 22]., 222, 223 and 22d, cover plate 208 and contact board 193 are rigidly secured together by means of bolts 225, 226, a lead wire 9 from the source of electrical energy being connected to the upper end of the bolt 226 so as to form a common supply contact terminal for all the blocks as they move between the blocks 223 and 22 i and under the blocks 221 and 222. The balls 217 and'218 are forced downwardly by springs 227, 228 disposed in recesses in the blocks 221 and 222 respectively. When a block 8 provided with a letter, as shown at 229 in Figure 3, moves longitudinally above the contact board, the letter 229 comes into contact with the balls 4. Current thus flows from one terminal of the electric source of energy through the lead '9', bolt 226, block 222, letter block 8, contact balls 4, thence through the leads 211 tothe respective lamps, thence through the return leads therefrom to the other terminal of the electric source of energy.

ball in the control board to the corresponding lamp so that when a contact is made with any particular contact member or ball by a letter, numeral or other sign, the corresponding lamp lights up on the frame carrying the bank of lamps. It will be obvious therefore that in the passage of the metal letter, numeral or other sign across the aforesaid contact members or balls a plurality of lamps will be illuminated in the bank of lamps on the ad vertising frame corresponding to the contour, shape or form of the letter which effects the illumination of the said lamps. It should be understood that the letters, numerals or other signs which pass across'the face of the contact board are not necessarily, or rather their design is not necessarily a fixture.

What I claim is 1. A device of the character described and comprising, in combination, an insulating control board, a plurality of spring pressed contact terminals spaced apart therein, pres sure blocks superposed above thesaid insulating control board and spaced apart therefrom, spring pressed contact terminals disposed in said pressure blocks, the'said pressure blocks being so. arranged as to provide a guide-way for a plurality of electrically conductive units, raised characters on 'and integral with the said electrically conductive units adapted to co-operate withthe spring pressed contact terminals in the insulating control board, and means to move saidelectrically conductive units in the said guideway for the purpose hereinbefore explained.

2. In an electrical advertising device, the combination of a plurality of U-shaped electrically conductive blocks having raised portions representing advertising matter means entering the channels between the legs of the blocks and connecting saidblocks to form an endless element, a control board having a plurality of spring pressedball contacts, and means to movesaid endless element/over said board to bring the blocks into contact with the spring pressed ball contact-s.

3. In an electrical advertising device, the

combination of a control board having spaced terminals, a series of contact blocks eachzhaving a longitudinal channel, links within the channels connecting the blocks and forming therewith an endless chain, and means for supporting and driving the chain to move-the blocks between and into contact with said spaced terminals.

. 4:. In an electrically illuminated advertising apparatus, a plurality ofseparably and hingedly connected blocks having raised characters formed integral therewith, both the blocks and the characters being composed of electrically conductive material,-a plurality of upper and lower resilientand stationary electric contacts, insulating supports for said contacts and means for passing said blocks continuously and'successively across and in direct contact with and between said upper and lower contacts.

5'. In an electrically illuminated advertis- 5 ing apparatus, a plurality of separably and hingedly connected blocks having characters thereon, respectively corresponding in arrangement to that of the advertising matter to be reproduced, both the blocks and the 10 characters being composed of electrically conductive material, a plurality of upper and lower resilient and stationary electric contacts, insulating supports for said contacts and means for passing'said blocks continuously and successively across and in direct contact with and between said upper and lower contacts.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

HERBERT STENNETT COLEMAN. 

